Melo Villareal
Make Your Holidays Delicious with Pamaskong Pagkaing Pilipino
Mga Kuwentong Pagkain (MKP), the annual storytelling contest launched by the Mama Sita Foundation in 2012, celebrates its 11th year with a focus on festive Filipino food fare.
Dubbed “Pamaskong Pagkaing Pilipino,” this year’s contest round aims to spotlight Filipino holiday recipes and cherished traditions that bring family and friends together.
Pamaskong Pagkaing Pilipino
Anyone from anywhere worldwide is invited to join the essay writing contest and share their holiday-themed Filipino food story. Entries may include heirloom recipes and their backstories, which could highlight a family or community tradition. The essay could also put an exciting spin on a particular ingredient or crop widely used in the region or pay tribute to the people who put food on the table – from the farmers who grow them to the home cooks who prepare them.
The essay writing contest has a broad scope and allows some flexibility on subjects, settings, and focus. But through the years, MKP’s underpinning theme has remained the same: Filipino food’s power to nurture relationships and transcend barriers.
Entries must not exceed 1,000 words in English or in Filipino and must be submitted in .pdf format via email (hello.mkp2023@gmail.com) or via this link (https://bit.ly/MKPForm2023)
Criteria for judging are the following: 40% Cultural Significance – or the entry’s ability to convey a cultural element in Philippine Christmas celebrations or holiday traditions built around Philippine cuisine; 20% Narrative Effectiveness which evaluates the entry’s storytelling in terms of clarity and pace; 20% Theme Relevance which looks for strong alignment with the initiative’s overall theme of uniting people through Filipino food; and the remaining 20% for Creativity and Originality which refers to the entry’s uniqueness in storytelling approach, style, and technique. Cash prizes and gift items from the Mama Sita Foundation await this year’s winners.
The deadline for submission of entries is on January 25, 2024. For more information, click these links: Rules & Mechanics; Legal Guidelines
Please stay tuned for updates on the official MKP Facebook and Instagram pages and the Mama Sita Foundation’s website.
The MKP initiative is inspired by Filipino food icon Teresita “Mama Sita” Reyes, who dedicated most of her life to promoting Philippine cuisine in every corner of the world.
She believed in the power of Filipino food to strengthen family ties, nurture friendships, and bridge cultures. MKP is a tribute to her passion for food and people and her unrivaled commitment to put Philippine cuisine on the global culinary map.
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Also read:
- What’s your food story? Mama Sita wants to hear them
- Students learn about indigenous origins, external influences of Filipino food in Food of Our Ancestors
- Top 10 Best Things to Do in East Tennessee
